At least 20 dead in Greek wildfires

Jul 24, 2018 14:01 IST

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At least 20 people have been killed and more than 100 injured as two forest fires rage out of control near the Greek capital of Athens. Authorities urged people to abandon their homes on Monday after high winds whipped up the worst fires for more than a decade in two areas either side of the capital, destroying properties and closing the the main motorway west to Corinth. The majority of the victims died in their homes or their cars in Mati, a holiday resort 29km (18 miles) north-east of Athens that was devastated by a fast-moving blaze that started at around 5pm local time, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said early on Tuesday. He said 88 adults and 16 children were injured, 11 of them seriously. One of the youngest victims was thought to be a six-month-old baby who died of smoke inhalation. (HT Correspondent)